Road chair



' Oct. 17, 1933. H w NESTER 1,930,957

ROAD CHAIR Filed Dec. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l oct. 17. 1933. H. wNESTER 1,930,957

ROAD CHAIR Filed Dec. 3. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 17, 19331,930,957 I ''I -itoAD CHAIR Howard W. Nester, Worcester, Mass assignorto I ParkerWire Goods Company, Worcester,'Mass., j

a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 3,1931. swarming l8" Claims. (o1, 94-8) This invention relates to devices for'holdingreenforcingrodsin position during cement construction operations; i

The invention is particularly adaptedfor use 5 in supporting the wirerod reenforcements or "mats used in cement road building. I l w Devicesfor such purposeshave been heretofore produced and one such device isshown in the prior patent to Ribb, No. 1,830,888 issued Novemher 10,1931.

It is the general object of my present invention to improve theconstruction of such'road chairs in such manner that a road chair ofgreatly increased strength and utility may be produced at only a veryslight increase in the cost of either material or labor.

With this general object in view, important features of my inventionrelate to the provision of a bracing element in a road chair of the Ribbtype and also to the provision of an intermediate retaining or lockingmember. 1

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularlypointed out.

in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my invention, together witha modification thereof,is shown in the drawings, in which i v Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofone form of my- Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified construction, iI I Figs.' 6 and Tare end views thereof, looking in the directions ofthe arrows 6' and '7 in Fig. 5, and

modification.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, I have shown a form of my invention inwhich the entire road chair, with the exception of the sheet metal base10, isformed from a single piece of wire rod.

This road chair is adapted to secure crossed rea thereby.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of a further I 1 At its oppositeend, the-"intermediate portion 12-is bent transversely, as indicated at18, t0

provide an additional supportfor the lowerrod R. The wire rod is then"bent upward to provide an offset portion 19 and downward to provide adepending portion 20. The offset portion 19pre- ,vents relative lateraldisplacement ofthe rod R after it has been placed in position.

The depending portion20 is provided" with a,

base portion having angularlydisposed parts 22 and 23, and the wire rodextendsin an upwardly end of the part 23 "crossing point 26 and theupper end of the brace 25- is bent transversely to provide anintermediate retaining or locking member 2'7. I The outer portion of.this retaining member 27 is displaced downwardly, as indicated at 28,and the extreme outer end is then .inclinedupwardly, as indicated at29.,I I When the parts are assembled, the retaining or looking member 27loosely overlies the lower ro'dfR and prevents upward displacementthereof to such an extent as to permit the rod R to slip I sideways overthe offset portion 19. I The base 10 is permanentlysecured-to the basemembers 22 and 23by'we1ding or otherwise, and

affords an extended and substantial footing for the roadchair,particularly whenused on a soft or uneven foundation surface.

The brace 25 forms in. effect a second leg or support between the base10 and. the rod-support- ,ing'portions of the chair and greatlystrengthens the chair against distortion or displacement when an unusualstrain-is-placed thereon. a I My improved road chair'thus possessessubstantial advantages overthe device shown in the Ribb-patent aboveidentified. i

In' Figs. 5 to7 I have shown a slightly modified constructiongin whichthe road chair is formed of two separate pieces ofwire rod, in additionto the base plate 30.: 1 a 3 The main part of'the chair is; formed froma piece of wirerod having-anintermediate portion 31 looped upwardly at32, downwardly at 33 and again upwardly at 34, as in described.

The opposite end of the intermediate portion 31 is bentdirectlydownwardat 36 and'then laterally-to provide a base portion 37 adapted tobe welded or'otherwise secur'ed'to the base plate 30.

The outer endof the base portion 3'7 is then bent upward, as indicatedat38,. and is then looped the form previously andbent transverselytorprovi'de an offset por---,'

tion 39and a. rod-supporting portionAO. The endflof; the rod-supportingportion .40- is preferaright portion 36.

A brace rod 42 is welded or otherwise secured similarlysecured to theintermediate portion 31 at the point 44.

The upper end of the brace rod 42 is bent laterally to provide aretaining or locking member 45 of similar construction to the lockingmember 27 shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

While this form of my invention is of slightly different mechanicalconstruction and involves the use of two pieces of wire rod instead ofone, the use and advantages are substantially the same as in the formpreviously described. In both cases the provision of the brace rod andintermediate retaining or looking member adds greatly to the strengthand utility of the device and makes the vchair much more satisfactoryfor its intended purposes. I 7 i Both forms of these road chairs areeasily asseinbled with the reenforcing rodsand when once in positionarenot readily displaced; 1 Y J In Fig. 8, I have shown. a further form ofmy invention which is in general similar tothe' construction shown inFig. l but in which thelower end of; the depending portion is bent toform an enlarged base portion 51, preferably of substantially circularoutline; The brace member 52 is shown as being formed from a separatepiece of wire rod, welded to the member 50 at the point 53' and'weldedto an outer faceof the intermediate member 54 at the point 55. Theupper'end of the I brace member 52 is preferably extended to provide alocking portion 56, asin the forms previouslydescribed'. With thisconstruction a sub.- stantial base area is secured and under ordinaryconditionsthe separate sheet metal base may be omitted, as also in theforms shown in Figs. 1 to 7 While I have used the term roadchair? in thespecification and claims, it will be understood that myinvention is notlimited to use in road construction but that itis equally adapted forforming reenforcing mats for use in building or floor construction orfor any other purposes. The term road chair is to be considered asdescriptive only and not as a limitation. 1

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in, the claims, but what I claim is:-

1. A road chaircomprising a substantially fiat extended base plate, anapproximatelyhorizontal intermediate section having upwardly anddownwardly offset rod-engaging portions at one end thereof and having arod-engaging portion at the other end extended downwardly to engage saidbase plate, and abrace member connected tosaid supporting portion andpermanently secured to saidintermediate section at a point between theends thereof andsubstantially spaced from said ends, all parts of saidroad chair except the base plate being formed from a single continuouspiece of wire rod.

2. A road chair comprising an approximately horizontal intermediatesection having upwardly and downwardly ofiset rod-engaging portionsatone end thereof and having a downwardly extended supporting portion atthe other end,v the end of said supporting portionbeing offset laterallyto provide a base portion and being again offset upwardly and'laterallytoprovide an additional rod-engaging brace member, said brace memberbeing permanently secured to saidintermediate section at a point betweenthe ends thereof and substantially spaced from said ends one end thereofand having a downwardly extended supporting portion at the other end,the

end of said supporting portion being offset laterally to provide a baseportion and being again offset upwardly and laterally to provide anadditional rod-engaging portion, the extreme end of which is permanentlysecured to said downwarclly-extended portion.

4. A road chair comprising an approximately horizontal intermediatesection having upwardly and downwardly oifset rod-engaging portions atone end thereof and having a rod-engaging supporting" portion at theother end, and'a brace member connected to said supportingportionandpermanently secured to said intermediate section at a point between theends thereof and substantially spaced from-said ends. q

5. A road chair comprising an approximately horizontal intermediatesection having upwardly and downwardly oifset' rod-engaging portions atone end thereof and having a rod-engaging supporting portion at theother end, and a brace memberconnected to'saidsupportin'g portion andpermanently secured to said intermediate section at a point between theends thereof and substantially spaced from said ends, said brace memberbeing extended above said intermediate section and having a laterallyoffset portion cone stituting a rod-retaining member.

6;; A road chair comprisingan approximately horizontal intermediatesection having upwardly and downwardly offset rodeengagingportions at T.

one end thereof and having a rod-engaging sup: porting portion attheother end, said latter portion being extendeddownwardly and having anofisetbase portion substantially enclosing a substantial area, and abrace member connecting said base portion to said intermediate sectionand permanently, secured to said intermediate section at a point betweenthe ends thereof and:

substantially spaced from-said ends.

stantial area, and a brace member connecting said baseportion to saidintermediatesection and permanently secured to said" intermediatesection at a point between the-ends thereof and substantially spacedfrom said ends, said brace member being extendedto constitute andprovide an upper rod-retaining device.

8,..A road chair. comprising an approximately horizontal'intermediatesection having upwardly,

and downwardlyv offset rod-engaging portions at one end thereof andhavinga downwardly'ex- 'tended supporting portion at the other end, the

end of said supporting portion being offset laterally to provide a baseportion and being againoffset upwardly and laterally to. provide anadditional rod-engaging portion, the extreme end of which is permanentlysecuredto said, downward ly+extended portion, and a brace memberconnected to said supporting portion and perma- .nently secured to saidintermediate section at a point between the ends thereof andsubstantially spaced from said ends-. I

' HOWARD W. NESTER.

